Acton Town Hall
In the early years of the twentieth century, it was hoped that
Acton's District Council would have its own town hall. Ealing and
Southall had been granted new premises in the late nineteenth
century. It was thought that it would be more sensible to bring all
the council's offices under one roof, rather than have them
scattered around the area. When the council eventually got round to
discussing the issue in January 1906, the cost estimated for the
operation was £100,000. This large amount created a public outcry.
The local Ratepayers' Association was outraged that so much public
money was to be spent and due to pressure, the cost of building the
town hall was slashed two months later.
The council then proposed £35,000 be spent, but even this
reduced figure was deemed too high, and finally, in April 1907, the
maximum to be spent was £18,000. Herbert Nield, MP for the division
of Middlesex, which included Acton, officially opened the completed
building on 10 March 1910. Apart from offices for the council's
staff, there was the council chamber, and a large committee room.
By 1935, it was thought that a larger town hall was required.
Instead of finding space for a new building in the already crowded
borough, it was thought more practical to build an extension on the
present building. The cost of the extension was approved a year
later at the cost of £98,100.
The Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex, Lord Rochdale, officially
opened the renovated town hall on 24 June 1939. He described the
extension as 'very noble and thoroughly English without extravagant
ornamentation'. The extension allowed for the inclusion of an
assembly and concert hall to be used for municipal occasions and
other social functions by local organisations. The concert hall was
used for a Victory Ball in 1945 to mark the end of the Second World
War.
We would like to thank Dr Jonathan Oates, borough archivist
and local history librarian, for the use of his
information.